Father to the fatherless, defender of widows –
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
God places the lonely in families...
Psalm 68:5,6a
“I love to sing,” Tim Burke of Sagemont’s praise team said. “I also love why I sing, and to whom I sing. It’s just a perk to get to help lead people into worship.” When watching Tim as he worships the Lord on stage, you would never guess the difficult situations he has faced that have allowed God to reveal His steadfast faithfulness. But Tim’s story is about more than just overcoming tragic life events, it’s about what it means to be adopted into the family of God.
When he was only 14, Tim’s life took a tragic turn. His mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. He watched as she slowly weakened from the effects of chemotherapy and passed away. “There are just a few huge, life-changing events that happen in one’s life,” Tim said. “But looking back on them, we can see how God uses them to bring us to the point where we realize we’ve got to have Him.”
Soon after his mother’s death Tim did turn to God. The next year he asked a friend to go with him to a concert one Saturday night. Her parents told him she could go only if Tim would come to church with them the next morning. He agreed. That Sunday at Sagemont led to another and another, and after a few weeks of hearing Brother John’s teaching, Tim gave his life to the Lord. Not long afterward, his dad started attending and also became a Christian. “Growing up at Sagemont Church I had so many friends with awesome, godly parents that were big influences in my life,” Tim said.
During his teenage years Tim was encouraged to pursue music at Dobie High School by one of Sagemont’s former youth music ministers, Robert Burkhart. The Student Ministry was doing a musical, and when Burkhart noticed Tim’s talent, he advised him to join the choir and band at his school. Tim complied and during that time he made some close Christian friends and was selected to sing in the all-state choir during his senior year. He used his musical abilities at Sagemont too as he played violin in the orchestra and later, as an adult, joined the choir, a small ensemble and the praise team.
His involvement in music in high school proved to be pivotal for his future career. “We were going to a football game at Galveston Ball High School. Football players, cheerleaders, and band members were traveling in four buses. A car cut in front of the first bus, and then all four buses collided with each other in a huge wreck,” Tim said. “I was okay, but many people were injured.” It was total chaos as ambulances rushed back and forth to John Sealy Hospital. “There just weren’t enough firemen and paramedics to really prep all the people for transport, so I started helping.”
Though he had no experience, one of the paramedics started telling Tim what he could do to help. As soon as one ambulance took off, he and the paramedic would begin preparing another of the injured students. “I watched as my friends were strapped to backboards and shipped off in ambulances. When they all left I just broke down. I think it was at that moment I knew what I wanted to do.”
Tim and his close friend Jason Velasquez, also a Sagemont member, planned to join the Navy after high school graduation, but when Jason switched to the Marines, Tim decided to enroll in the fire technician program at San Jacinto College. At the time that program was a requirement for applying as a firefighter in many cities. He received his associate’s degree in fire science and began searching for employment. Eventually Tim was offered a job in Houston but was required to attend their fire school as well. While attending school with the Houston Fire Department Tim’s dad also died, so he was left with no immediate family.
In October of 1999 everything changed dramatically when Tim married Allison Smith, the daughter of Cliff and Vicki Smith. She and her family had also been longtime Sagemont members. “I definitely married up,” he laughed. “She’s my backbone, my everything. She is an amazing, godly woman who has helped me in so many ways.” Today Tim is a part of a large, loving family that gets together every Sunday at church and for a meal afterwards. “I’ve been at their house almost every Sunday for the last 12 years,” Tim said, “Allison’s mom is a wonderful lady and her dad is a godly example for me. They raised a beautiful daughter and I’m blessed beyond measure!”
Allison works as an ICU nurse at Clear Lake Regional Hospital. They now have three children: Emma (6),Jack (4) and Sam (20 months). “We plan our schedule a month in advance,” Tim said. “We’ve never had to have a permanent babysitter or daycare.”
In Tim’s career with the Houston Fire Department he has worked in HFD District 26 on the southeast side of Houston. His first eight months were spent at Station 16 in the Montrose area; he then was at Station 40 in the Old Spanish Trail and Wayside area for five years as a firefighter and paramedic. Over the years Tim has worked at several fire stations on the southeast side of Houston and was promoted to Captain in 2005. By 2009 he was working out of Station 29 located on Old Galveston Road near Howard Drive.
The day before Easter, Saturday, April 12, 2009, Tim participated in the fire department’s annual fundraiser, “Fill the Boot,” but he took time off later that Saturday and Sunday so he could sing in the Easter services at church. But once again tragedy was about to interrupt those plans.
During the night fierce winds fueled a house fire that turned deadly. Two of Tim’s fellow firemen from partner Station 26 lost their lives as they and Tim’s team from Station 29 fought the flames to search for possible victims. One was a 30-year veteran, Captain James Harlow; the other was a rookie, Damion Hobbs. It was Damion’s first fire.
“It was one of those fires that went bad real quick,” Tim said. “There was a lot of glass along the whole back of the house and when the fire got there it busted it out like a blow torch.” When the call was made for them to withdraw it was too late and the men were already trapped inside. They were rescued but efforts to resuscitate them were in vain.
The next day, Easter Sunday, Tim did not sing in church. Instead, he went to be with the grieving men still at the scene of the fire and took them back to the station. “Firemen are like a family,” he said. “We eat together, sleep together, and we put our lives on the line for each other. It’s a tight bond.” He realized nothing would have changed even if he had been there, but Tim couldn’t help wishing he had been with them that night. Counselors and psychologists were available but it was a difficult time for all of them.
With the loss of Capt. Harlow, Station 26 had a vacant captain position to fill. Their chief told the men that instead of posting a department-wide opening, he wanted the firemen of Station 26 to select their new captain. Having worked with him side by side at fires, the men chose Tim. “It was a huge honor,” he said. “We’ve been together two years now, and we’ve had a lot of late night talks about God and the church. They know I’m a Christian, and because of the tragedy, seeds have been planted and hopefully some are questioning, ‘What’s this all about?’”
One of Tim’s goals as the station’s captain has been to help his men heal as they remember and honor their friends who gave their lives. For months pictures of the fire and funeral lined the walls of the firehouse. Tim realized these daily reminders needed to come down for the men to remain focused on their jobs. Though they would never forget, it was time to move forward. Now a side hallway has been dedicated to hold the pictures and memorabilia. The hall leads to a memorial garden outside that offers a tranquil place where colleagues and family members can come to remember those who lost their lives.
Both personally and professionally, honoring God is a commitment Tim has made for his life. Dangerous, even life-threatening circumstances will not cause him to waver. “Every time we make a fire,” Tim said, “I see those guys showing such compassion. They’re covered in soot but they’ll grab someone’s clothes trying to save whatever they can. For us this is not a job, it’s a calling. Sometimes younger members of our team feel that the job of saving lives is completely up to them. I tell these younger paramedics that whatever is going to happen is going to happen. Your job is to do everything to the best of your ability. The outcome is not about what you did or didn’t do; there’s a reason behind it. I know Who controls everything, and it’s not us.”